Cellular radio telephone systems typically include subscriber units (such as mobile or portable units) which communicate with a fixed network communication unit via RF transmissions. A typical fixed communication network includes at least a base station and a switching center. One responsibility of the fixed network communication unit is to grant use of the communication system to the subscriber unit after the requesting subscriber unit meets the authentication requirements of the system. In a typical cellular telephone communication system, each subscriber unit is assigned a telephone number (mobile identification number) (MIN) and an identification number (or serial number) (SN) which uniquely identifies the subscriber to any fixed network communication unit. Each subscriber unit has a unique identification number that distinguishes it from other subscriber units. The fixed network communication unit has access to these identification network communication unit has access to these identification numbers through a database. Often these numbers are used by the fixed network communication units to bill subscribers for the time the subscriber uses the system. When the subscriber calls another unit, he enters the phone number he wishes to call. The dialed phone number becomes the data to be sent to the fixed network communication unit. Data may also include other information regarding a third communication unit such as a unit's location.
Detection of a legitimate subscriber's identification number may be accomplished by RF eavesdropping or by purposeful or inadvertent divulgence of the MIN/SN combination by the radio telephone installer. Once the subscriber's telephone number and identification number is known (stolen), a thief may reprogram another subscriber unit with the stolen identification number causing two or more subscriber units to have: the same MIN/SN combination. Cellular radio telephone systems have authentication procedures to deny access to subscribers not having legitimate identification numbers, but do not have the capability to detect multiple users or effectively neutralize the effect of an installer leaking subscriber identification numbers. Therefore, the legitimate user is billed for both the thief's use and his own use.
Several authentication techniques are known. EIA-553 section 2.3 specifies that each subscriber shall have a MIN and a factory set SN. The telephone number which the subscriber is attempting to contact is the data that is transmitted by the subscriber to the fixed network communication unit. Authentication is granted by this system if the MIN and corresponding SN are found in the fixed network communication unit database. Unfortunately, EIA-553 does not require the encipherment of the MIN or SN before transmission to the fixed network communication unit thereby permitting direct RF detection of any MIN or SN. In addition, this technique fails to provide protection against a thief that acquires a MIN/SN from an installer.
Another authentication technique is described in European cellular communication system recommendations generated by the Groupe Special Mobile (GSM); see sections: 02.09, 02.17, 03.20, and 12.03. This method additionally requires the subscriber to openly transmit a temporary mobile subscriber ID (TMSI) to the fixed network communication unit; the fixed network communication unit generates and sends a random number (RAND) to the subscriber. The enciphering technique requires the subscriber unit to autonomously retrieve at least three enciphering elements from its memory: a predetermined ciphering key, an SN (individual subscriber authentication key) and a MIN (international mobile subscriber identification number--IMSI). The subscriber then enciphers its SN and MIN using the cipher to construct the RAND into a signed response (SRES). The subscriber unit transmits this signed response back to the fixed network communication unit where the fixed network communication unit checks the SN, MIN, and ciphering key against its database using the subscriber's temporary ID (TMSI).
The fixed network communication unit generates its response to the same random number using the information retrieved from the database and compares the subscriber signed response to the fixed network communication unit generated response. If the responses are substantially equivalent, authentication is confirmed. The dialed telephone number is only allowed to be transmitted after authentication is granted. This system affords some protection against a thief that acquires the MIN/SN from an installer by enciphering the SN and reassigning a temporary TMSI each time the subscriber enters a different cell area.
Although one technique enciphers the subscriber's serial number before transmission, neither system detects multiple users. Detection of thieves once they acquire access is important to maintaining a secure system. Moreover, the random number transmission (required for encipherment) necessitates additional communication between the subscriber unit and the fixed network communication unit each time a call is made which increases the probability of transmission error and adds a transmission step to the fixed network communication unit's authentication protocol routine. In addition, authentication must be verified before the system will allow data to be accepted. Therefore data must be sent after the steps of the authentication procedure are complete.
There exists a need for a substantially enhanced authentication technique for a cellular telecommunication system that detects fraudulent users and efficiently protects identification numbers from unauthorized detection. The authentication method should restrict an illegitimate user's capacity to utilize the system in the case where access is inadvertently granted. Further, an adequate level of security resulting from encipherment should not require additional transmission processes or inject higher error levels during the authentication process.